FB: Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association

[sflzman]

Well let me expand on almas early struggles.

Defensively they are EXREMELY young and not very good at the moment. As simple as that.

Offensively. If you had not found out yet, alma is running a variation of the wing t, triple option, and old school Chicago bears t formation on offense. In this offense you have a bigger tailback/fullback, two tight ends (or two split ends, or 1 and 1) along with two wing backs. Ideally in almas offense the wingbacks are going to be running backs that can catch. Right now though, with the personnel that is at alma players like michael lenneman, Nate wade, etc. Are playing in this "wingback" position. Without having the ideal guys to fit the system right now, a team like alma has to do all the "little" things right, and not give the ball away.

Which comes to problem number two. Jarrett leister is a pro style quarterback who benefits from extremely talented receivers and backs around him. Hence his success at mt pleasant in high school. He did okay in the spread but his mind has been appearingly "warped", we'll say, into the spread mentality. He forces balls too often and need utilizes a check down. Iwu for instance. Alma is at the Wesleyan 3 going in to take the lead. Leister has a flat receiver open (probably not a td but hey, live to play another play) but instead forces a pass into the end zone and gets picked. No idea what he saw. After watching film I still can't. Iwu ball on their 20. One run, a three yard hitch, three missed tackles later, it's a 75 yard Wesleyan td pass.

Fast forward into the start of the second half. 14-10 iwu I believe. Iwu goes 3 n out and picks up negative yardage in the opening drive. Alma gets the ball on their own fourty. Again leister has the flat wide open but forces it downfield and is picked. Iwu scores again. Next kickoff. Lenneman fumbled. First play is an iwu td. Those are the little things alma can't do if they expect to win games this year. Until they can figure those things out, they will continue to struggle.

[Mr. Ypsi]

sflzman,

Probably not a good game to use for examples!  I was shocked that it was only 10-7 at the half (not 14-10, since you never did reach 10); IWU's second half is what I had fully expected to see in Alma last year!  You awakened a somnolent overly comfortable team with the scare last year (I really think that scare may have helped propel IWU into the playoffs); I'm amazed you held that well in the first half.  Part of me would like the series to continue since I can see the games in Alma, but I'm not sure what exactly this series really does to benefit either team.  The programs are (currently, at least) just too far apart.

Why, it's kinda like Albion taking on Wheaton!  OOPS!!

[Raider 68]

Which MIAA team will have the biggest challenge this coming weekend?

[sac]

Which MIAA team will have the biggest challenge this coming weekend?

Just a guess but probably Hope with Concordia.
Next week is the MIAA/NathCon Challenge weekend.  It should be quite the pillow fight.

Olivet @ Rockford
Hope @ Concordia, Ill
Alma @ Aurora
Adrian @ Wisconsin Lutheran
Trine @ Concordia, Wi
Kalamazoo @ Lakeland
Albion @ Benedictine

Wisc-Luth, Concordia, Ill are 2-0, Benedictine is 1-1 everyone else is winless from the NathCon. 

[d3fan1515]

Hey MIAA, I am a BU fan just wondering if anyone can give me some insight on Albion?  Obviously a good team with a BIG Win over Wheaton, but can anyone give me more specific details as to what they do offensively and defensively! Thanks in advance and have a safe trip up to Lisle!

[RFMichigan]

Which MIAA team will have the biggest challenge this coming weekend?

(This is coming from a follower of a NAC team and, by association, the conference as a whole but living in MIAA land and following its teams as well . . .)

This is my list of games in order from most likely win for MIAA team descending to most difficult MIAA win.
(This is a relative scale. I frankly think the MIAA should be favored to win each game in the Challenge.)

1. Albion - Benedictine. This is the whole issue with the NAC -  similar to the problem the Big 10 faces in bowl season. They don't have a truly great, ligit power team. If you did, everyone in the weaker conference (the Big 10/NAC) would "slide down one" to play the next strongest team and have a somewhat better chance of a better showing in this type of set-up. But not in this game.

2. Trine - CUW. Maybe I should heed the warning of a poster on the CCIW board about Trine's former dominance owing to one strong recruiting class a few years ago, but I'm still drinking the Kool-aid and thinking they're one of the top two or three teams in the MIAA and CUW has yet to prove that they can win a non-conference game much less being back to where they once were five or six years ago.

3. Hope - CUC. I'm not convinced about CUC's defense in a matchup like this. Actually, I have a whole essay about my feelings about this matchup that I will not bore you with.

4. Olivet - Rockford. Wait for it  . .  wait for it . . .    "But Olivet's terrible!" Rockford's worse.

5. Adrian - WLC. I think that this game will be alot like CUC's game against Adrian last year: Adrian dominates physically but WLC hangs around. I wouldn't be surprised if WLC pulls it out, especially at home.

6. Kalamazoo - Lakeland. I know nothing about these two teams except their "history". K'zoo has not been strong whereas Lakeland used to be really, really good. But K'zoo does have two nice wins so far this year, so . . . (I'm guess I'm basing my prediction as though it's 10 years ago.)

7. Alma - Aurora. I'm just basing this on Alma's getting blown out (albiet against two quality teams) and thinking that Aurora is probably one of the top three or four teams in the NAC.

Actual number of NAC wins prediction: 1

[RuleBritannia]

Hey MIAA, I am a BU fan just wondering if anyone can give me some insight on Albion?  Obviously a good team with a BIG Win over Wheaton, but can anyone give me more specific details as to what they do offensively and defensively! Thanks in advance and have a safe trip up to Lisle!

Albion runs their offense out of the pistol on nearly all plays. Their pistol formations go from a 3 wide, 1 TB, 1 TE look to a 1 wide, 2 TB, 2 TE look. Expect Albion to run 60+% of the time with running backs Clinton Orr and Darrin Williams. (Albion seems to be resting the star, Orr, a little bit during the non-con season, so expect to see plenty of Williams.) Albion employs both zone and gap blocking with their running game. Albion also likes to run screens and swing passes to their running backs. Albion likes to use the run to set up a strong vertical passing game, both utilizing play action, and not. Senior WR Brian Spencer is quick and has good hands and is a threat to catch a 40+ yard pass on any play.

Defensively Albion runs a 4-2-5 set. They will blitz, but won't generally be overly aggressive. Albion usually won't give up much ground straight up the gut, and while their ends are strong pass rushers, they're liable to lose contain and allow a QB scramble or even a stretch play to go 10-15 yards. Their secondary is solid, although starting CB Chris Jakubik is very undersized, and a bigger receiver can take advantage of that.

[d3fan1515]

Great, thank you for the info...

[sac]

EMU's mascot has been talked about on here before, the school has reintroduced it.......sort of.  Guess they're trying to make things 'normal' again.   (ps if you get the 'normal' give yourself a cookie)

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120907/SCHOOLS/209070376

[Mr. Ypsi]

EMU's mascot has been talked about on here before, the school has reintroduced it.......sort of.  Guess they're trying to make things 'normal' again.   (ps if you get the 'normal' give yourself a cookie)

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120907/SCHOOLS/209070376

Naturally, I had no trouble getting the 'normal'.

As for the cookie, where's April when ya need her?!

[Flying Dutch Fan]

EMU's mascot has been talked about on here before, the school has reintroduced it.......sort of.  Guess they're trying to make things 'normal' again.   (ps if you get the 'normal' give yourself a cookie)

http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20120907/SCHOOLS/209070376

That was an easy cookie

[wisd3fan2]

Hi MIAA,    This weeks spreads.
#211 Olivet wins by 12
#112 Hope Loses by 5
#173 Alma Loses by 6
#97 Adrian Wins by 1
#88 Trine Wins by 14
#126 Kalamazoo Wins by 1
#47 Albion Wins by 29
Fun Facts, All 7 teams playing against MIAA Teams are over 50 pt underdogs to UW #3WW,#11Oshkosh,#20Plattville, #37LaCrosse, #28Stout
#1 offense in D3 Football UW Oshkosh  #1 defense in D3 football Mount Union
UW Whitewater falls to # 3 Behind #1Mount Union and#2 Wesley.
Also Congrats to Albion who moved up 27 spots to #47 in our rankings and a clear leader in the MIAA!!!! They are moving quickly towards the top of D3!
MIAA team to drop the greatest in our rankings is #88Trine after 2 weak games.

[ThunderStorm_3peat]

wisd3fan2 when are you going to bash oshkosh for not starting your boy

[wisd3fan2]

Hey Thunderstorm, They are starting my boy. Nate Warra is a 4 year starting senior. Preseason all American. I assume your talking about Rauch. I don't follow UW Oshkosh very closely but I do know that they play a form of the triple option which is an offense that I'm sure they have taylored around Nates abilities. I would also have to add that if Rauch felt like he would go into Oshkosh 15,000 students and get the start he would be dreaming. (which I'm sure he didn't) Oshkosh cuts over 50 tryouts a year. I follow all the QB's in the WIAC and would not put Rauch at the top of the list. He did become a big interest to many in Wisconsin because he chose to attend Trine University instead of all the D1,D2,and WIAC teams that recruited him. (We think he liked and could learn a lot from Coach Simrel)
Wara is a very popular QB here much like Blanchard who is really my boy. ( Who the Bears cut the other day... sad) All I have heard about Rauch this year is that he threw a bunch of bombs against Dubuque a few weeks ago. He must be a big asset for Oshkosh but I'm sure you won't be seeing him start this year. I don't bash teams, I speak facts which many don't like to hear.

[ThunderStorm_3peat]

you dont speak facts though you speak your opinion, and that is a fact